New Orleans’ Carnival, also known as the ‘Mardi Gras season’ in New Orleans, begins each year on ‘Twelfth Night’ (January 6) and concludes on what is called Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras Day which falls on Tuesday, February 13. To help officially launch the season, Rex, King of Carnival issues an edict to the world through the communication channels of New Orleans tourism.

Rex, King of Carnival, Royal Edict Announcing New Orleans Mardi Gras Season

“The Rex organization has issued its edict for over 100 years in this unique and authentic place called New Orleans,” said Mark Romig, President and CEO of New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, NOTMC. “Carnival will be bigger than ever this year to help visitors and locals celebrate the city’s 300th anniversary.”

The Rex Organization, founded in 1872, began when a group of young New Orleans leaders created a daytime parade and issued an edict, inviting all to come to the ‘Crescent City’ to join in its unique Mardi Gras celebration. Today the ‘Royal Edict’ is sent through New Orleans tourism’s official communication channels. In the days before mass media, broadcast, and tourism industries, the beautiful art posters and brochures were distributed in railroad stations, plastered on train cars, posted in centers of commerce, and placed in public buildings around the nation in major U.S. cities.

“As we enter the city’s Tricentennial year in 2018, we look forward to welcoming visitors and gathering with locals to take part in the Mardi Gras revelry, kicking off on Twelfth Night and continuing until Mardi Gras Day, Tuesday, February 13th this year,” said Stephen Perry, President and CEO of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. “These carnival celebrations showcase the unique culture, history and ‘joie de vivre’ that can be found year-round in New Orleans.”

The 2018 Royal Edict incorporates artwork from 1886, inviting visitors to “gather, from far and near, to join in the many celebrations and processions which will shortly unfold under the joyful Carnival banner.” More important, it signals the city’s annual signature family event that promises fun, merriment, and joy to those who pause for a day from the normalcies of life.

Each year, both the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOCVB) issue an electronic version of the Invitation to the nation and to international destinations, as well as over 60,000 travel trade professionals and tour operators. The Royal Proclamation will also be featured on the official tourism website, NOLA.com.